Reduced Shakespeare Company – https://kossontalent.com

Called a “trio of Modern Marx Brothers” by the Boston Herald and “intellectual vaudeville” by the New York Times, The Reduced Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a touring American comedy troupe that performs fast-paced, seemingly improvisational condensations of huge topics. They hold the record for the longest running comedies in the history of London’s West End as three of its shows ran in repertory at the Criterion Theatre in Piccadilly Circus for almost ten years. Known as the “Bad Boys of Abridgment,” the RSC has performed at the White House, Lincoln Center, Off-Broadway, the Kennedy Center, and Montreal’s famed Just For Laughs Festival, as well as touring the UK, Belgium, The Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, Singapore, Barbados, Bermuda, Israel, Qatar, and Ireland. The Reduced Shakespeare Company is heard frequently on both NPR and the BBC.

Tour Advance

Allison Bostedt: reducedshakespeare@gmail.com (707) 364-0956

Elaine Randolph
Stage Manager/Technical Director
Handles Tech Advance & Load-In. Lights & Sound
emrdolph@aol.com
(202) 215-0895

New for 2024-25 Season: The Complete History of America (abridged) – *Special Election Edition* and All The Great Books (abridged)

The Complete History of America (abridged) – *Special Election Edition!*

“Smart, cheeky clowns!” New York Times

Vote early, laugh often! The Complete History of America (abridged) – Election Edition is the only cure for America’s aches and campaigns!

Newly updated for the 2024 election, the Reduced Shakespeare Company returns with 600 Years of History in 6000 seconds! The Complete History of America (abridged) – Election Edition provides the requisite historical context guaranteed to confuse any voter and make you the life of your next party – whatever party!

From Valley Forge to Fake News, yea verily from Manifest Destiny to Mar-A-Lago, from Alexander Hamilton the patriot to Hamilton the musical, the three cultural guerillas of the Reduced Shakespeare Company take you on a ninety-minute rollercoaster ride through the glorious quagmire that is American history.

And the presidential frontrunners may just make a surprise appearance to answer any audience questions: Who really discovered America or was it already here? Who is Gerry and why does he mander? If pro is the opposite of con, then is progress the opposite of congress?

History is normally re-written by the winners… but now it’s the RSC’s turn.

Warning: If electoral dysfunction lasts longer than 248 years, please consult your Constitution.

“Comic Gold!” Washington Post

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All the Great Books (abridged)

Little Dickens. Short Longfellow. Reduced Proust. All the Great Books. Less is More.

The Literary Canon explodes as the Reduced Shakespeare Company once again unleashes a comic outrage on an unsuspecting public. The Bad Boys of Abridgment take you on a ninety-eight minute roller-coaster ride through its compact compendium of the world’s great books in All The Great Books (abridged). Confused by Confucius? Thoroughly thrown by Thoreau? Wish Swift was swifter? Tennyson tinier? Then buckle up and hop aboard as the three cultural guerrillas of the Reduced Shakespeare Company zip through everything you didn’t get around to reading in school.

“English class meets Monty Python” – The Washington Post

Also Available…

The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged) –The fruitcakes of the Reduced Shakespeare Company take you on an irreverent yet heartwarming trip through the holidays in The Ultimate Christmas Show (abridged). It’s festive funny physical family fun as these Three Wise Guys send-up and celebrate your favorite winter holiday traditions. The only holiday show you’ll ever need to see! MORE ABOUT THIS PRODUCTION

The Complete History of Comedy (abridged) Now, the Reduced Shakespeare Company tackles the subject it was born to reduce. From the high-brow to the low, The Complete History of Comedy (abridged) covers comedy through the ages, from Aristophanes and Shakespeare and Moliere (Is Moliere funny? Why not?) to Vaudeville and Charlie Chaplin to The Daily Show and Anthony Weiner. MORE ABOUT THIS PRODUCTION